Valentine's Day Advice from Bogie, Casablanca

On this, the most romantic day of the year, we'd like to reflect on why style matters so much for a man. It just so happens that the reason is personified in the most romantic movie in the history of moving pictures, Casablanca. We'll spare you the details — and if you haven't seen it, you should correct that immediately, possibly tonight, with a lady-friend — but at the center of the plot is the romance between Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). Bergman is ethereally, hauntingly beautiful. The camera loves her, and you can understand, in your gut, why. And then, well, there's Bogie.

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Listen, the guy was many things, but a looker was not one of them. But he had undeniable style, and not just in the sense of wearing the right clothes or having the right haircut — that can only get a man so far. He smoked a cigar with a certain panache. He talked and people listened. Onscreen he drinks, by himself, in a white dinner jacket and black bow tie, but you would never mistake him for the waitstaff. You try it sometime, see what happens. You'll be asked for an entree suggestion, guaranteed. But not Bogart. It has a little something to do with the fit, of course, and the details: the perfectly proportioned size of the neckwear, or the way he cinched his trench coat belt, or the angle of his tipped hat. You can't buy it, that much is for sure. And it's what made Ilsa Lund fall for Blaine onscreen. And Lauren Bacall fall in love with Bogart, in real life. Style. It makes a difference. Use it wisely tonight, guys. Godspeed.

Oh, and if all else fails, write her a nice note and buy her some candy. If Brooklyn Decker approves, so do we.